Question

Insectivorous plants are best adapted to
A. Water rich soils
B. Water deficient soils
C. Trace mineral deficient soils
D. Nitrogen deficient soils

Answer 1

Hint: The insectivorous plants have adapted themselves by undergoing certain modifications in order to capture and digest the insects thus absorbing the nitrogenous substances present in them. These modifications often vary from plant to plant.

Complete answer:
Insectivorous plants are particularly adjusted for arresting and consuming insects as well as several other animals through indigenous traps and pitfalls.
Pitfall traps are the most commonly occurring traps. They are found in the pitcher plants. They possess a hollow leaf with a lid. A liquid is filled inside this leaf which helps in the passive capturing and digestion of the prey.
The insectivorous plants are also referred to as the carnivorous plants or the predatory plants or the insect ingesting plants. These plants are autotrophic or self-feeding green plants as they can undergo photosynthetic reactions to produce their own food in the form of carbohydrates. However, the insectivorous plants are not capable of making proteins as they cannot carry out absorption of nitrogenous substances present in the soil. So, to meet their nutrient requirement they ingest insects. The protozoans, the mites, the crustaceans, the spiders and the insects are often preyed upon by the insectivorous plants for obtaining the nitrogenous substances. Therefore these insectivorous plants can inhabit freshwater bogs having extremely acidic pH and no available nitrogen.
Hence, these Carnivorous/insectivorous plants are well adapted to thrive in the regions having nitrogen deficient soil. They trap the insects and then digest the proteins present in them for deriving amino acids which can be further utilized for obtaining nutrition in the form of nitrogenous compounds.
On the other hand, these plants require an optimum quantity of water and trace element for their growth and development. Hence, any excess or deficit of water or trace element may be harmful for these plants.

Hence, the correct answer is option (D).

Note: Secretion of nectar or enduring organs which are sticky as well as attractive are some of the modifications made by insectivorous plants to attract the insects. Furthermore, digestive juices are also secreted by these plants for carrying out digestion of animal proteins.